Narrative maps
I have always drawn inspiration from the wilderness, from the woods, from Big Nature. Since 2011, I’ve done endurance trail runs (25K to 100K organized races, as well as self-supported 30- to 50-milers). In 2016, after completing the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim, a 42-mile self-supported run in the Grand Canyon, someone asked, “What does trail running look like?” Later that night, during the night shift at a lawfirm in NYC, where I worked for 2 years to fund my less paid pursuits, I put pen to paper. You’ll see that 8.5 x 11” drawing to the right. A week later, on a sheet of Kitakana paper, I recreated the drawing, the route, and the rendering. These maps are not drawn to scale, but the sensation of memory. They are an illustration of what it feels like to move for an extended period of time across land.
Top Trails Seattle
In 2018, Hoka One One went to major cities around the country to film endurance athletes in their natural habitats, both on and off the trails. When they came to Seattle, they featured Bretty alongside Brian Morrison, the owner of Fleet Feet Seattle, Race Director for the Teanaway Country 100-Mile Race, and beloved trail runner in the Seattle community. When Bretty moved (back) to Seattle in 2018, he worked at Fleet Feet for six months, which is when this episode was filmed. Below on the left is the video that features just Bretty and his narrative maps, while the video on the right is the full episode — Episode 2 of Season 4 of Top Trails — with Brian, which also features Bretty’s fascination with unwords, and how running fuels writing (and vice versa).
When it comes to running, artmaking, or writing, I always ask myself: what are the conditions I need to create in order to run, in order to create, in order to find a home for an experience in language? Running, writing, and drawing are three types of blank spaces from which I draw life experience into and from.